WHAT:

With software-related recalls on the rise, is it time to embrace predictive software maintenance?

WHY you should read this:

• We highlight the main trends from Stout's 2020 report
• We explore the significance of these trends: Software-related recalls and OTA updates
• We dig deeper and explore what these trends mean for the industry
• We question whether recalls are necessary or whether cars could be serviced remotely

Stout's 2020 Automotive Defect and Recall Report got us thinking about one of Elon Musk's tweets from 2013. In response to Tesla having to recall nearly 30,000 of its sedans because of a fire risk caused by the vehicle's charging equipment overheating, Musk tweeted: "The word "recall" needs to be recalled". And in this case, that's just what Tesla did by offering an over-the-air (OTA) software update instead of actually recalling the faulty vehicles. In many ways, this tweet was a watershed moment for the industry. And this idea of software-related recalls is echoed strongly in the latest Stout report.

As we find ourselves at the beginning of the new year, we thought it would be helpful to reflect on some of the main trends highlighted in Stout's 2020 report. Because reports like this set the stage for what's to come and in some senses hint at the bigger issues OEMs and suppliers may be forced to grapple within the coming year. The report highlights a trend we all know isn't going anywhere anytime soon and something that a relentless maverick and visionary like Musk already knew in 2013: That software-related innovation is going to play an increasingly important role in new automotive functionality, and that software-related recalls will not be far behind. The report clearly shows this trend.

But all this got us thinking: Could there be a better, more efficient way of dealing with software recalls? Perhaps it's time to embrace predictive software maintenance.

Change is in the Air: Key Trends and Highlights

In many ways Stout's 2020 Automotive Defect and Recall Report highlights what we already know to be true: Software-related recalls are on the increase.

The report highlights the fact that:

• In 2019 we saw a significant increase in the number of software-related defects when compared to previous years: There was a ~ 10% increase in software-related defects from 2018 to 2019
• Software-related recalls reached record numbers in 2019 with 2 of the largest recalls of the year (including a safety recall) involving software
• An estimated 6.5 million vehicles that were recalled for electronic component defects received software remedies, making 2019 the year with the greatest number of software-based campaigns

Interestingly, the report also hints at the fact that while more and more manufacturers are warming up to the idea of OTA updates, they still aren't widely used (for the entire vehicle). We predict that this is going to change. In fact, from conversations we've had with several of our clients and announcements from various car manufacturers, we know this is changing. We predict that full-vehicle OTA updates will become increasingly popular as more and more manufacturers embrace the technology. And while this innovation will enable remote repair and may even lessen the load when it comes to recalls, we shouldn't stop here. We shouldn't just be striving to ease the load and make recalls more efficient but rather focusing on predictive software maintenance. This means being able to predict which software is causing the issue before it causes the vehicle to fail, and using OTA updates, we'll be able to fix it before any harm is caused.

Predictive Software Maintenance to the Rescue

The Stout report highlights the increase in software-related recalls and hints at the role OTA updates will come to play. But we'd argue it doesn't go far enough. Because of innovations like OTA updates, we see the emergence of a powerful trend: Predictive software maintenance. But what does that really mean? And what will this mean for the automotive industry?

Essentially, predictive software maintenance is a shift away from the tried and trusted reactive approach which only fixes problems after they have caused what often turn out to be catastrophic failures. This is unplanned, reactive maintenance and is how things have always been done (until now). On the other hand, predictive maintenance relies on real-time data and machine learning algorithms to detect anomalies and possible defects before they need fixing. Such an approach anticipates problems before they occur, making it more efficient and cost-effective.

According to our 2020 Automotive Software Survey, the ability to perform predictive maintenance on automotive software is a desired capability within the industry. Based on the survey, more than 88 percent of the 200 respondents think the ability to predict software anomalies is important or very important.

An example of predictive maintenance is a vehicle's brakes which tend to wear slowly over time. The garage does not wait for the brakes to fail before replacing the brake pads, but instead, the garage mechanic will use his experience to predict when they will fail and will suggest to replace them in advance. Line-Of-Code Behavior technology does the same for the vehicle software.

Line-Of-Code Behavior technology enables manufacturers to be proactive rather than reactive to software failures, enabling pre-error detection. This technology leverages machine learning algorithms to monitor the behaviour of the software functions over time and predicts when the software will fail. In addition, it detects the exact lines of code causing the problem, shortening the error-resolution time and giving the manufacturers the necessary time to fix, test and certify the software before it is released. Using OTA updates the new software can then be pushed to the vehicles seamlessly before the software has failed in the field, paving the way for a seamless continuous improvement process.

Conclusion

There are many takeaways from Stout's 2020 Automotive Defect & Recall Report. What stood out most for us was the significant uptick in software-related recalls. The report also hints at the increasing reliance on OTA updates. This shines a light on where the industry is headed. It also makes it clear that with the right technology and innovation, we could soon be servicing cars remotely instead of recalling them. For an industry so focused on recalls, this is a major wake up call and an opportunity to do better.

Learn more about our approach to predictive software maintenance.

The 2020 Automotive Software Survey Report, written by Ian Riches from Strategy Analytics and Roger Ordman from Aurora Labs, is now online!

Our 2020 Automotive Software Survey shows more evidence of the transformation happening in the automotive industry. Unique to this report, however, is the focus on two main vectors of transformation: more centralised vehicle architectures and more software developed in-house by the automotive OEM.

There are significant concerns as to how quickly the industry is moving and whether car manufacturers own the required skills. The function of OTA updates is crucial. Cost control and complexity will be essential to ensure that customers stay satisfied with their vehicles throughout their lifecycle.

The key conclusions of the 2020 Automotive Software Survey are as follows:

• There was wide agreement that OEMs will develop more software in-house, but only a lukewarm affirmation that they possessed the required skills to do so.
• This widely agreed trend is at odds with the current status quo, with the most popular answer to how many software suppliers there are to a current vehicle being 'Over 50'.
• Domain-based architectures are coming - but most saw volume deployment in MY2027 or later.

It is clear that the importance of software is growing for the automotive industry and evolving from an enabler for the hardware, to become key differentiating features. The vehicle manufacturers are being challenged to meet the resource requirements for software to become a strategic component of the vehicle and the automotive industry.

• Multiple aspects of ensuring software quality are seen as difficult and/or getting more difficult, with a strong expressed preference for the ability to have insight into the behavior of the software functions during the development process as well as to be able to predict software anomalies.
• There was overwhelming agreement that OTA updates bring far more than just the ability to roll-out bug fixes. This opinion was strengthened by the fact that 83% of respondents envisaged at least two OTA updates per vehicle per year, with one-in-six (17%) predicted more than 24 updates a year - and so we're clearly looking to see more than bug fixes implemented.
• It is clear that the OTA business will be on a very steep growth curve in the coming years. Market needs (a vehicle which continues to improve post-factory), OEM requirements (controlling the spiraling cost of physical recalls) and legislation frameworks are all now aligning.

The industry is acknowledging that software quality is no longer a single stage of the vehicle development process. Software quality is expected to be maintained throughout the vehicle's lifecycle and the vehicle manufacturers are expected to take a more proactive approach towards maintaining vehicle software quality.

To read the full 2020 Automotive Software Survey report with over 20 engaging graphs, please click here

Have you heard? Over-the-Air (OTA) Update systems for automotive software are now being regulated. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe's (UNECE) World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations has adopted new regulations to manage cyber risks and provide safe and secure software updates for the more than 300 million lines of automotive software code expected to be in passenger cars, vans, trucks and buses by 2030.

Read on for a quick overview of the main points in the UNECE document WP.29 and how Aurora Labs' in-vehicle software solutions enable car manufacturers to comply with the new OTA regulations and their effect on vehicle type approval.

The adopted regulation outlines the requirements and processes needed to assure that the software update management system (SUMS) guarantees safe, secure and reliable OTA updates. The regulation covers Safety, Security and Documentation. Given the widespread use of UN regulations in the automotive sector around the world, the broad adoption of these regulations is expected in January, 2021, among and beyond the 54 Contracting Parties/countries.

The UNECE press release announcing the adoption of the regulations notes that certain regions and countries have already committed to applying the regulations. Japan has indicated that it plans to apply these regulations upon entry into force starting January 2021 and in the European Union the new regulations will be mandatory for all vehicles produced starting July, 2024.

In terms of safety, specific document details include verification of the vehicle resources prior to commencing the update, and the ability to restore software to a previous version in case an over-the-air update failed or was interrupted. In addition, there are recommendations for how to handle software interdependencies, compatibility of software updates, and type approvals.

To comply with the security recommendations, an auto manufacturer needs to prove that software manipulation and compromise can be prevented, and software functionality, authenticity, integrity can be verified and validated.

WP.29 also lists required documentation covering:

• Processes
• Device and software configuration
• Software versions
• Target vehicles
• Purpose of an OTA update, what systems the update affects, type approval details and confirmation that the software update is conducted safely and securely

The regulation discusses the effect an OTA update may have on type approved functionality in the vehicle. Specifically, sections 7.1.1.9 and 8.1 refer to the situation when an update has an effect on a previous type approved vehicle function.

The change to the component or system resulting from the update needs to be documented and evidence needs to be given on the direct effect of the change on the type approved function and any connected/dependant type approved systems. The changes may then be deemed by the testing authority to require one of the following three outcomes to the type approval certificate of conformity (CoC):

1. Revision - the modifications do not affect the performance of the type approved function
2. Extension - the changes are substantial enough to require an extension to the type approval document (often a costly process)
3. Amendment - the changes have a direct effect on the performance of type approved functionality and will require additional testing (and documentation) for an amended type approval

Aurora Labs' Self-Healing Software solutions, specifically Auto Update and Auto Validate, are key for automotive manufacturers to effectively comply with the new requirements defined by the UNECE to keep the Software Update Management System safe and secure.

Auto Update is the industry's only OTA solution that updates all ECUs from bumper to bumper regardless of component resources, it uses standard protocols, updates with zero downtime, and does this all without requiring dual memory or a software client to be integrated into every ECU in the vehicle.

Only Aurora Labs' Auto Validate provides standardized and documented evidence of the changes made within a software function and the effects the change has on the dependent software functions, greatly reducing the time and cost involved to maintain Whole Vehicle Type Approval (WVTA) throughout the vehicle's lifecycle.

As more and more software enters the vehicle, from several different sources including the OEM itself, Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers and the open source community, the need to truly understand software behavior is paramount to the delivery of vehicles to be deemed certified and road worthy. Aurora Labs is at the heart of this fascinating time in the automotive industry and well positioned to help software-driven automotive manufacturers succeed.

The past has proven that companies' technology and innovations are versatile and just because the original intent of the technology or innovation was to solve one problem, as time goes by, and new challenges arise, the same solution can be used to solve other unforeseen problems.

As USA Today reported, in 1942, during World War II, the U.S. military was in need of a durable adhesive tape that could maintain its bond under harsh field conditions. The military asked Johnson & Johnson Co. to develop the idea and initially called it duck tape for its waterproof nature.

Civilians began to utilize the product heavily during the postwar housing boom, when it was used to seal central air and heating systems. Duck tape was used in ductwork so much that it was renamed to duct tape and recolored to match the silver metallic color of HVAC systems.

During the height of COVID-19, we saw examples of corporate agility as car manufacturers began building ventilators and sporting good manufacturers started sewing masks for the healthcare industry. We will continue to see this nimbleness moving forward as companies' technologies, originally scoped for one industry, find their way into processes supporting Industrial IoT - a term designating the efforts that bring together machines, cloud computing, analytics, and people to improve performance and productivity.

Aurora Labs' Self-Healing Software, currently being leveraged by automotive manufacturers, is a solution that is also bringing value to Industrial IoT companies. Aurora Labs uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to enable these companies to become proactive about the quality, safety and security of their connected devices and systems.

This is of increasing value for time-sensitive industrial IoT devices such as security cameras, autonomous warehouse robots, and production line machines that are required to have 24-hour uptime, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Aurora Labs' unique Self-Healing technology is the predictive maintenance solution for software, enabling pre-error detection and remote OTA updates with zero downtime -- both key features in guaranteeing continuous quality, safety and security.

Business Insider quotes Maribel Lopez, founder and principal analyst at Lopez Research, saying, “Although Aurora Labs is targeted at vehicle manufacturers if Amazon Web Services (AWS) were to acquire it, its technology would not just be used for cars. Instead, it could be expanded as a platform play, meaning that AWS could use its AI technology for other parts of its business - its own growing logistics robot fleet, for example.

The global industrial IoT market is expected to reach approximately USD 751.3 billion by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 23.88% from 2017 to 2023. By component, the global industrial IoT market is segmented into hardware, software and service. Software is expected to be the fastest-growing segment during the forecast period, with a CAGR of 25.65%. Software plays a major role in the development of industrial IoT systems.

However, for this to happen, according to global consultancy firm Bain, "Device makers and other vendors of industrial and operational technology need to dramatically improve their software capabilities—not a historical strength for most of them."

The crossover from automotive to Industrial IoT is a natural extension of Aurora Labs' Self-Healing Software in support of various scenarios. In manufacturing alone, having the visibility into line-of-code behaviour to predict and fix errors in security, plumbing, lighting and production line systems will prevent downtime, which costs firms at least $100,000 an hour, according to a 2019 survey by ITIC.

'One Plus One Equals Three' is the title of a 1927 German silent film as well as a book by Dave Trott on creative thinking and creative writing. 'One Plus One Equals Three' is also a phrase that illustrates what is happening within the automotive ecosystem.

Over the last few years and moving forward, automotive companies are partnering with businesses outside of the automotive industry to deliver offerings that bring two disparate technologies together to create a third solution that reinvents business models, generates additional revenue streams and cuts costs.

According to BearingPoint/Beyond, a European, independent management and technology consultancy:

If automotive and transport companies want to thrive in a digital, mobility-enamored world, partner ecosystems must become a vital component of their reinvented business models. This will allow them to put a greater emphasis on customer relationships as the motor for innovation to create compelling new digital services formed through partner ecosystems which not only meet customer needs but drive them forward - while also being harder for competitors to simply copy.

Unexpected partnerships are bringing the automotive industry together with insurance, entertainment and hospitality companies, just to name few. For example:

• Ford has a deal with Liberty Mutual Insurance offering insurance discounts to customers who drive a Ford connected vehicle. On a consumer opt-in basis, Liberty Mutual is able to access data from Ford's connected cars to assess driving habits and decrease auto insurance premiums based on good driving.
• At CES this year, the electric vehicle manufacturer, BYTON, announced a wide range of partnerships bringing fresh content to an in-vehicle 48-inch display. ViacomCBS and Accuweather are two entertainment/information content companies working with BYTON to deliver an offering that enhances the driving experience.
• Uber has a deal with Hilton Worldwide enabling guests to set ride reminders, request vehicles to and from nearby locations as well as explore local scenes via a digital guide powered by Uber within the HHonors loyalty app.

Credit: Center for Automotive Research

For more than 100 years the auto industry was based on one company building a vehicle, one person buying it and one person driving it. Those days are over. One, single company cannot provide the new types of services and solutions desired by today's consumer.

While collaboration is key to the successful disruption of the industry, it is not without challenges. Once companies agree to partner, the complexities to success range from go-to-market strategies, branding, revenue splits, and team coordination. Core to the success of the partnership is its fluidity through planning and execution as well as ensuring a common lexicon, common measures, and common processes to help companies from vastly different industries integrate, communicate and prosper.

The majority of these services and joint mobility offerings require integration of software components into complex, multi-supplier systems. The mindset of fluidity, dynamic environments and consistent measurement and processes is also true for software integration and the dependencies and compatibility challenges that arise with software integration.

From a pure business perspective, the stronger the dependency between colleagues, supply channels, and infrastructure the higher the probability change will cause challenges to the integrated service. Having insight into how these elements interact will help predict and prepare for change assuring a successful launch of the unified offering.

Similarly, the stronger the dependency between functional components and software lines-of-code, the higher the probability change in one component will have a carry-on effect on other functional components in the system. Having insight into how these elements interact will help predict and prepare for change, again, assuring a successful launch of the unified solution.

Aurora Labs is the company leading this new dimension of providing transparency into the relationships and behavior between functional components in complex and dynamic automotive systems. The actionable data created enable the automotive ecosystem to predict, fix and validate software behavior, the foundation of all new mobility systems and services.

Many companies have mandated a 'work from home' (WFH) policy as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. To some, working at home is a blessing.  To others, it can be difficult due to a lack of structure and social interaction, and in an increasing number of countries, having the kids at home.

Below are a few tips that will help with the transition from office to home. Before this conversation, however, we want to thank all of those who do not have the option to work from home. Specifically, the first responders, doctors, nurses, healthcare operations personnel, scientists, pharmacists, people managing the drive-through testing, grocery store workers, food and parcel delivery folks, and our government agencies and representatives forming the guidelines to help us through this tumultuous time.

For those of you who are working from home to ensure our global economies remain as viable as possible, here are a few WFH Tips.

1. Create a workspace

Find some place in your home that is considered your workspace and everyone in the house knows that you are "at work" when in that space. Preferably a room with a door and a window. Let your family members know what time you have scheduled conference calls and remind them to be a bit extra quiet during those times. (You may want to tape your conference call calendar to the refrigerator!)

2. Make a schedule

Work is an activity, not a place. Weave your work activity into your daily routine. Set the alarm for at least an hour before you start working in order to give yourself a "normal morning." Make breakfast, check the news, take a shower, get dressed (don't stay in your sleepwear all day!). Take time for a lunch break away from your desk. Ending the work day can be tricky because most of us with a mobile phone never really end the work day. This part probably won't change too much.

3. Take a drive or walk around the neighborhood before starting work

Take a drive or walk around the neighborhood before work. Get some fresh air to kick the day off. Listen to whatever you normally listen to on the radio to get in the work frame of mind.

4. Use conferencing technology

The first transcontinental video call happened on April 20, 1964 using Bell's Picturephone service at the World's Fair in New York City. Conferencing technology has come a long way since then! Take advantage of voice, video and data collaboration technologies to stay in touch with colleagues, partners, customers and prospects.

Tip #1: Be prepared for a video call at all times! Use your laptop camera to test lighting and make sure your background is work appropriate.

Tip #2: If you don't want to be too surprised, be sure to close the physical camera cover or put a band aid over your camera that you can easily remove when a video call comes in.

5. Stay fit

Keep exercising. Make up your own programs and check with your gym to see if they are offering online classes. Also, look at sites like Sworkit.com for classes ranging from yoga and pilates to strength, core and cardio.

6. Take breaks

Take breaks throughout the day to clear your mind and gain perspective on the project you are working on but resist the urge to snack!

7. If you have pets, bring them into the office and talk to them like a colleague

Let your dog sleep by your feet or your cat snooze on your desk. At least for part of the day. Pets make great colleagues and they always think you are right!

8. Clear the air

If a meeting goes bad or a situation didn't turn out the way you hoped, don't get paranoid about it. In the office, you would go to your colleague/friend and hash it out and walk away feeling better. Don't stew on it - call that colleague/friend if needed.

9. Don't despair, it's only temporary

Life is about turning lemons into… Some of the steps above may help you enjoy the flexibility and productivity gains that can be achieved by working at home. And don't forget to wash your hands!

A watershed describes an area of land that contains a common set of streams and rivers that all drain into a single larger body of water. History shows that for new technologies to be successfully deployed, there needs to be a watershed moment where everything from powerful chipsets, to advanced networks, standards and interoperating components need to come together at the same time to truly leverage the power of new solutions and change the way people live, work and play.

This reality was recently reported in The Wall Street Journal's Decade of Disruption supplement. In Joanna Stern's article, First the Smartphone Changed then Over a Decade, it Changed Us, she quotes AT&T's former Vice Chairman, Ralph de la Vega, saying "When one piece of technology changes, it's a big deal, but when two or three things change that are complementary at the same, it's really disruptive."

For the mobile phone industry, only when the network technology (3G), operating systems (iOS and Android) and the phones' processing power, battery life and storage capacity reached a tipping point did mobile phones become ubiquitous to our way of life with consumers watching videos, receiving mails, playing, shopping, banking and surfing online all from the computer in their hand. This watershed moment also made over-the-air (OTA) updates truly beneficial for smartphone users. At this point in time, all of the firmware and applications - the entire phone - could be updated and continuously maintained throughout the lifetime of the phone.

Once OTA solutions were ubiquitous within the mobile phone industry, the OTA vendors set their sights on the automotive market. The car became the next device to update. Today, most of the over-the-air updates are keeping the non-critical head unit, infotainment system and telematics control unit updated. With the exception of Tesla, that built their vehicle platform as a software platform from the ground up.

New technologies comprising today's watershed moment for software as the predominant technology in cars -- the technology rivers and streams that are aligning -- are electrification, 5G, computer vision and software solutions based on advanced AI and machine learning. This convergence will ensure that automotive manufacturers can update more than the head unit, infotainment system and telematics control unit. This watershed moment will result in the ability to run software diagnostics and updates for the safety of critical and non-critical components alike throughout the entire vehicle - end-to-end, bumper-to-bumper, hood-to-trunk, bonnet-to-boot.

This watershed moment also offers the opportunity for automotive manufacturers to redesign their entire E/E architecture and adopt new centralized systems that manage in-vehicle software components as micro-services, ensuring flexibility, cost savings, software quality, safety and security.

Smart Summon is a new feature Tesla has installed with an over-the-air (OTA) update as part of its version 10.0 software. Smart Summon enables the car owner to summon his or her car from a parking space within 200 feet. A few days after the update was delivered, a video surfaced of a Tesla Model 3 being summoned from a public parking lot, driving through a stop sign and getting pulled over by the police.

The Tesla owner said to the police officer "I wasn't driving it. The car ran the stop sign. So, no ticket. "The police officer was understandably perplexed. Who should he issue the ticket to? The owner wasn't driving the car when it made the traffic offence? The car? Maybe Elon Musk himself?

In this instance, no harm came to any pedestrians or other cars, however, the question of liability remains. Earlier this year, executives from Ford and Bosch came together with executives from AllState and Nationwide as the two industries - automotive and insurance - work through how to insure connected and autonomous cars and figure out who is liable for what.

While in many cases the hardware and sensors may be to blame for a vehicle malfunction, according to a report from Stout, in 2018, nearly 8 million vehicles in the US were affected by software-based defects. This is a higher total than the previous five years combined and three times more than any previous year. Both the insurance and the automotive industries - which haven't had major changes or new business models in decades - are being disrupted with the ushering in of connected cars, autonomous cars and mobility services. Who is responsible when an autonomous car crashes? The 'driver' in the car? The owner of the vehicle? The vehicle manufacturer? The supplier of the autonomous driving technology?

Too often the question of liability is framed as a 'blame game' by either the regulators or the insurers, to find the entity that can be shouldered with the cost after the fact. However, the focus of liability should not be on pinning the blame but rather on taking proactive responsibility so that crashes do not occur in the first place.

Understanding of automotive software is going to be the difference between those automotive manufacturers that maneuver through and succeed in this liability storm. Software is entering the car from several entities - the automotive manufacturer's software; suppliers' software and software created from the open-source community. The goal of the vehicle manufacturer should be to ensure that there are technologies and solutions in place to enable transparency into which software is actually running in the car and how the software functions are behaving, to be able to understand the behavior of the software, to be able to detect software malfunctions and to be able to fix them before they affect the driving experience leading to a liability situation.

Connected cars, mobility services and self-driving vehicles are driving a dramatic rise in the amount of software in the car and promise a shift in vehicle control away from the driver and toward the vehicle. The same shift may occur in liability for harm caused by vehicle crashes and related events. Automotive manufacturers need to adopt new in-vehicle software management technologies and develop new business models to be prepared to take on the liability responsibility.

Everyone knows someone with a disability, especially a driving disability that makes it unsafe to get behind the wheel. It may be an elderly parent, a friend with special needs, or a family member that has experienced a serious injury.

For years, the automotive industry has promised that connected and autonomous vehicles, as well as new mobility services, can provide more efficient transportation to those without a disability. But in the wake of the increasing adoption of these technologies, the industry also an obligation: To make transport more accessible and realize more independence and chances for the disabled with better access to basic services like healthcare and better access to employment.

The disabled market also is substantial. In the United States, for example, around 53 million adults have a disability, which is around 22 percent of the adult population. About 13 percent of adults have mobility problems and 4.6 percent have vision impairments.

In Germany alone, 7.8 million people live with a severe disability - many of them unable to drive a car. At the same time, 7.5 billion Euros have been spent on patient transport services - more than ever. Safe and secure autonomous vehicles in the form of configurable pods are a chance to enable those 7.8 million people better access to mobility and at the same time reduce the costs for patient transport.

However, there still remains one problem: The new autonomous technology needs to be safeguarded by a secure back-up plan in case the technology fails. Normally, this security back-up would be the driver, who can intervene and take over controls. But people with disability might not be capable of maneuvering the vehicle themselves.

Self-Healing, In-Vehicle Software Management capabilities of connected and autonomous cars that enable the vehicle to self-correct when a system malfunctions are crucial for all passengers - both those with disabilities and those without. Only if the vehicle is able to automatically detect problems and "heal" them, can everyone benefit from the new world of mobility. This is still a few years off however it is our obligation to build systems that are inclusive, and only then will consumers gain the level of trust for this changing world of transportation to become a reality.

With all the excitement around autonomous vehicles lately, you would expect that consumers are ready to buckle up and embrace full autonomy. On the contrary, there is a surprising amount of caution amongst drivers when it comes to self-driving cars.

According to a study conducted by AAA last year, 73 percent of American drivers report that they would be too afraid to ride in a fully autonomous vehicle - and that number is up from 63 percent in 2017. Furthermore, that same study found that 63 percent of U.S. adults reported that they would feel less safe sharing the road with an autonomous vehicle while walking or riding a bicycle.

How can we expect the entire world to adopt autonomous vehicle technology if there are high levels of distrust within the U.S. alone? Trust is a crucial component - and the first step - when it comes to the widespread use of autonomous vehicles. Autonomous driving will only become mainstream if drivers and pedestrians feel that they can fully trust the vehicle to function correctly.

What we can learn from the past - Trust and Technology

It is interesting to look at how elevators transformed the way people get from the first floor to the penthouse and how autonomous vehicles will transform how people get from point A to point B on the highways and back roads.

There are similar "trust" factors regarding both elevator and autonomous vehicle adoption. The elevator technology itself was not the deciding factor for people to adopt elevator usage. The first elevators were installed in England in the 1830s. However, early elevators used rope- and belt-driven systems that would often snap resulting in injury and death.

It wasn't until 1854 - 24 years after the technology was introduced - when Elisha G. Otis introduced a safety brake using a spring action system. At the 1854 World's Fair in New York City's Crystal Palace, Otis rode the elevator intentionally severing the cable. The safety brake stopped the elevator. The brake is considered the key in gaining public confidence in elevators.

We are in a similar situation today with autonomous vehicles. The major automotive manufacturers, major technology companies and hundreds of start-ups are working on technology to make autonomous vehicles a reality. Key to the adoption of the autonomous vehicle will be the technology that keeps the software safe and guarantees a driving experience that people trust.

Self-Healing Software Delivers Trust

This trust in autonomous vehicles starts with drivers understanding and believing that the software in the car works correctly, is secure, and is safe from cyber-attacks. Only then will the masses adopt self-driving vehicles. That means that the software must be functioning to the best of its ability.

The well-documented growth in the amount of automotive software eliminates any question about the importance of automotive software management. Using new technology, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, is required to deliver a Self-Healing Software solution that can detect a software problem, automatically roll-back to a safe software version and efficiently update the software.

Technology changes and advances - the safety mechanisms required for people to adopt technology - are timeless. Learning lessons from 1854, we know that trust is a key element for technology adoption and Self-Healing Software is to the vehicle what the brake was to the elevator.